Hoi An is an old trading port that has earned the Unesco World Heritage status. Cars are banned from the old town; likewise with motorcycles for most of the day.
The shophouses are all protected from ghastly renovations … except that many have been tastefully converted into cafes, galleries, souvenir shops etc. Many Chinese settled in Hoi An … their association buildings and some private mansions are amongst the most significant in town … just like in Penang!
Of particular interest to me was the Hokkien (Fujian, in Mandarin) association as that’s my origin.
Overhearing the guide talk to some English people it sounded like he said “the f*ckin’ people came from China, arrived in Hoi An and built this f*ckin’ association house”. The Vietnamese pronunciation for Hokkien is Phuc Qian, rather similar to how the Cantonese say it.
Hoi An is also home to many artisans and tailors. Rip out any page from a fashion magazine and the tailors here can whip it up for you faster than an Asian optometrist can make specs (slight exaggeration). Some of the pieces on display are so beautiful and elegant … but in this heat, it is just so so not conducive for me to think about making jackets and coats.
There are people who come here every few years to do a refresh of their wardrobe for the price of one piece in their home country. Their friends and colleagues will be most impressed.
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- Hoi An street scene.
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- Hoi An street scene.
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- At the Hokkien Association.
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- At the Hokkien Association.
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- At the Quan Cong temple.
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- At the Quan Cong temple.
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- Hoi An market.
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- Hoi An market.
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- Artisans at work.
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- Artisans at work. The model ship builders are very very impressive … their products sell for about 5x or 10x overseas. People shouldn’t complain about sweatshop labour but about profiteers in the margin.
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- Inside the Tan Ky family house. It sits in a low lying area and is subject to flooding. There are hatches in the ceiling to allow belongings to be pulleyed upstairs during a flood.
We went to nearby Cua Dai beach in the evening before returning to town for dinner and enjoying Hoi An’s beauty by night.
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- Cua Dai beach has beautiful sand and water.
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- Cua Dai beach has beautiful sand and water.
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- Cua Dai beach has beautiful sand and water.
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- We ate at this home restaurant a bit too much. While we like spreading our money around, the food was too good and the beer was too cheap at VND3000 (NZD0.18) per handle.
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- Hoi An’s riverside by night. The streets further back are also very romantically lit up.
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- Lantern market.
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- Lantern market.